Hulshoff, Hendrik (1664-1745)

Hendrik Hulshoff, usually called Hendrik Berents, was a spinner and weaver, married to Jenneken ten Cate of Groningen, and lived in "het Paschen" at Zenderen near Borne in the district of Twenthe in the Dutch province of Overijssel. From 1690 on, he was an elder of the Groningen Old Flemish Mennonites. This group also had a congregation in Twenthe, which split in 1728 into the Borne and Hengelo congregations. As elder he made official trips to the Old Flemish congregations; in 1719 he made a journey all the way to Polish Prussia. On 22 May, accompanied by his brother Arent Berends, he started out on a trip via Groningen and Harlingen, to Vlieland, and from there by boat to Danzig, where they arrived on 28 June. Here he met with Mennonite leaders, including Jan van Hoek and Anthony Janssen, but he did not preach. In Gruppe he visited Jacob Bertelt (Bartel), "being a man of the other Mennonites" (i.e., Bertelt belonged to the Waterlanders), for whom he had brought a letter and a "great basket full of books" from Holland. On 5 July the travelers arrived at Przechovka or Przysierk, later called Wintersdorf, not far from Schwetz. (In the Naamlijst of preachers of 1755 the congregation is called "In't Colmsche op Kunpad en Przekowsky.") Here Hulshoff took up his residence in Elder Benjamin Wedel's house. This was also a Groningen Old Flemish congregation. Hulshoff visited many members and preached several times; and on Thursday, 13 July, he officiated at the ordination of the two preachers, Jacob IJsaäks (Isaak) and Abraham Onrouw (Unrau). On the following Sunday he officiated at the reception into the congregation by baptism of at least 31 baptismal candidates, to whom he had given baptismal instruction on the previous Monday. They also visited the brethren in Wolz (?) and Schönsee. On Saturday the matter of the discipline of Hans Voet (Voth) was acted upon, and on Sunday, 23 July, he conducted communion and feetwashing. On Tuesday, 25 July, he preached once more. On this occasion many persons came from other places, even from the other side of the Vistula.

Afterward Hendrik and Arent Hulshoff took their departure. On the return journey they spent a night with a member at Montau, Pieter Baltzer (Balzer) of the Frisian branch. After a short stay in Danzig, where the brothers had business—our elder managed very eminently to combine the spiritual calling with the material—they traveled overland via Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Lingen, and Noordhorn back to their home, arriving there on 13 August.

The travel account was written up by Hendrik Berends Hulshoff himself, and was published in 1938 with an introduction by H. Ch. Hulshoff. Among the important items included is a list which Hulshoff received from his fellow elder Alle Derks, and one which he himself made of the members of the congregation in "Persighofke en 't Koenpat (Przechowka)." Presumably Hendrik Berends made a second journey to Prussia and Poland.